


A Modern-ish Fairytale

by OneOddKitteh



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Comfort/Angst, Domestic Fluff, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Light Angst, Long-Distance Friendship, M/M, Students, these tags are not in order of appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 18:33:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2319275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneOddKitteh/pseuds/OneOddKitteh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Snow White could charm animals with her singing, so Gabriel charmed the bus with his own. Well, Sam, anyway. Kind of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Modern-ish Fairytale

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aria_Lerendeair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/gifts).



> Written with much love by myself, and beta'd by undersail2013! Thanks so much for all your help, dear! Gifted to Aria, because without your inspiring writing marathon, I never would've managed to write this monstrous ball of gratuitous fluff.

“You know you’re singing to your headphones out loud, right?”

Sam had no idea who the short guy was, but he’d been singing for about half an hour now. It had been one cheesy pop song after another. At first Sam didn’t want to say anything. Like, who actually talked to strangers on long bus trips? The people in front of them were starting to look annoyed, however, and Sam would much rather risk awkward contact with the harmless looking guy next to him than face off against the sorority girls in front. The guy took out one of his headphones, staring at Sam blankly.

“Did you say something?” he asked.

He had a nice voice. It sounded like he laughed a lot, something backed up by the tiny crinkles starting near his eyes.

“You know you’re singing out loud, right?”

He shrugged. Sam’s eyes tracked the way his shoulders rolled easily. Every movement he made was smooth and relaxed. It was miraculous, someone being able to relax on a bus. The constant movement made Sam’s back tense up until it ached.

“Is there a problem with me singing?”

Sam jerked his head up. With an eyebrow quirked, and mischievous brown eyes, the dude looked like he was just begging Sam to say yes. Shit. Sam should have kept his mouth shut. The guy didn’t look like a trouble-maker, with his slicked back hair, red button up and innocuous jacket, but Sam had never been the best character judge. 

“No, no,” Sam said hurriedly. “It’s just that…” he glanced at the girls in front.

He wasn’t intimidated by them. It was just that they were very intimidating. Anyone who was willing to wear killer heels and heavy makeup on a bus trip was too brave for Sam to go near.

“They’ve got a problem with me singing,” the guy next to him finished.

Sam made a face. He didn’t really want to start anything.

“Look, gigantor, you don’t worry about them. If they have a problem, they can talk to me.”

Sam opened his mouth to protest, but shut it slowly. He narrowed his eyes. He could hear echoes of ‘bigfoot,’ ‘stretch’ and ‘freak,’ from when his growth spurt first hit. Pretty brown eyes or no pretty brown eyes, this short asshole wasn’t allowed to call him names.

“ _Don’t call me that._ ” 

The guy raised his eyebrows. He had an air of restrained glee, as if pressing Sam’s buttons was an unexpected bonus to the conversation.

“Didn’t realize it’d be a touchy subject,” he drawled. “Many people talk about your height, kid?”

Sam glared at him, and turned away. Condescending dick.

“None of your business,” he said coldly.

“Ooh, that’s good! Icy. Had much practice at that bitch face?”

Sam couldn’t believe this guy. Who talked to a stranger like that? He kept his vision fixed on the crazy patterns on the seat in front of him. Fiddling with the hem of his shirt helped relieve his tension a little, although it did nothing to alleviate the aching in his chest. Dean used to call his angry faces that. “Used to” being the key phrase. Dean hadn’t talked to him with that kind of familiarity for years. Not after he left for Stanford, and their father cut him out. Sam felt a gentle hand nudge insistently at his leg.

“Hey,” bus-guy said.

Sam did his best to ignore him.

“Dude, I’m sorry.”

Surprised, Sam turned to face him. The stranger’s eyebrows were drawn together and his eyes unhappy. Sam sighed. He couldn’t hold a grudge against him. Not because Sam was incapable of holding grudges, or opposed to being angry, but because they’d be sitting together for another several hours and this guy looked persistent. He’d probably annoy Sam until he got a response.

“It’s alright,” he said quietly. “It’s not your fault I’m touchy about my height.”

Somehow that didn’t remove the remorse from the guy’s face.

“No, really, sorry. I’ve had a really long day. I get aggressive when I’m tired.”

The apology didn’t really make Sam feel better, but he appreciated the effort.

“Thanks,” he said with an insincere smile.

He turned back to the front. Maybe the guy would put his headphones back in and Sam could go back to not thinking about why he was on the bus. Or take a nap. When he heard the voice again, he closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. Cracking an eye open, he leaned his head back on the headrest and let it roll around to face the guy.

“Sorry?” he said.

Maybe if Sam was unfriendly enough the dude would shut the fuck up. However, what the other guy said surprised him.

“We didn’t get off to a good start, did we? I’m Gabriel. What’s your name?”

The previously malicious air about the man had vanished, and he was smiling warmly. Sam raised an eyebrow, and despite himself, grinned. If only Sam had the power to go from as attractive as hugging a cactus to friendlier than a puppy. He said as much aloud, and then felt his face heat up.

“God, I’m sorry, that was rude,” Sam said.

“It’s a superpower,” Gabriel said, looking Sam up and down in amusement. “Not all of us can be set permanently on overgrown Labrador, you know.”

Sam knew his face was bright red. He’d never been good at hiding embarrassment. Gabriel just laughed at him, and Sam chuckled. Gabriel’s second jab at his height felt friendly, rather than rude like Sam had just unintentionally been.

“My name is Sam,” he said, offering Gabriel his hand. “As you can tell, social interaction isn’t my forte.”  

When Gabriel smiled at him again, Sam was caught by the flash of dimples and the little wrinkles by his eyes. He found himself smiling back. Gabriel asked questions about Sam, where he came from (Lawrence, Kansas), where he was going (Stanford), what he was studying (Law and Journalism), whether he thought Beyoncé would end up going solo (what?), and somehow Sam was pulled into a conversation that lasted hours. They didn’t even notice when the girls in front got off, clutching the backs of seats for support as they regained the ability to walk. Gabriel and Sam talked right through a rest stop, and through a bus change. Sometime after Gabriel’s interrogation, Sam’s returning questions and a heated debate on the merits of Harry Potter as a series, Gabriel got visibly drowsy.

“You should go to sleep,” Sam suggested with a grin. “I’ll wake you at the next rest stop.”

Gabriel made a face at him. There was no heat behind it, so he merely succeeded at looking childish and making Sam laugh.

“Seriously,” Sam said. “Use me as a pillow if you like.”

Gabriel didn’t even bother with a token protest once he saw Sam was serious. He dropped onto Sam’s shoulder tiredly. Sam heard him mutter a small ‘thanks.’

“No problem,” he replied.

And there wasn’t a problem. He’d hadn’t felt so at ease with a near-stranger since he first arrived at Stanford and met Jess. Gabriel didn’t _feel_ like stranger, so he couldn’t be treated like one. Once Gabriel was asleep, Sam found himself drifting off too. The steady rocking of the bus and the scenery flashing by as the sunset became a lullaby. He didn’t dream, not a nightmare at all, and when he woke he felt better rested than he had in weeks.

He blinked around at the surroundings tiredly. Shapes had indistinct edges and colors blurred into each other. He hadn’t slept enough, he knew that. Pulling out his phone, he checked the time. Four hours. It was longer than he’d slept for a long time. Sam lifted his head from where it’d fallen to rest on Gabriel’s, and examined the man beside him. Gabriel had soft brown hair that smelt like expensive shampoo, and he slept with a little pout on his face. Sam watched his chest rise and fall, and let it lull him back to sleep.

 

They both woke when the sun began to shine through the windows, and the bus driver called for everyone to get off. They clung to each other as they stumbled off the bus, and Sam found himself still leaning into Gabriel when they collected their luggage.

“What bus are you catching now?” He asked a half-asleep Gabriel.

When Gabriel named a different bus to Sam’s own, he felt himself frown. They stuck together while they waited inside a nearby diner. Sam bought two coffees and waved away Gabriel’s offer of payment. They didn’t discuss how Sam had known that Gabriel liked his coffee strong and 95% sugar. Instead Gabriel made a terrible quip about Sam not being human before 11am, and Sam threw a sugar packet at him in pretended disgust.

When Sam’s Stanford-bound bus pulled up, he stood up unwillingly.

“You’re off to Stanford then, huh?” Gabriel said, his mouth twisting into the hard smile he’d worn when they first talked.

“I am,” Sam quietly.

He realized then that Gabriel had never told him where he was headed, despite the other, more personal things they’d talked about. He opened his mouth to ask, but thought better of it. There was a line here, and Sam wasn’t going to be the one to cross it. Falling asleep on each other was one thing, acting like friends was another. Instead, he stood awkwardly, unsure how to proceed. Finally Gabriel laughed, and stood up shaking his head. There was a kind of wonder in his eyes as he looked up at Sam.

“You’re really not a morning person, are you?” he joked.

He ignored Sam’s affronted expression, and dragged him outside, taking his duffel from him and passing it to the bus driver. Turning back, he looked up at Sam. His hair shone gold in the early morning light, and he smiled with an easiness that Sam envied.

“Give me your phone,” he ordered.

Sam handed it over, confused, and then elated. Gabriel entered his phone number into a new contact, and Sam laughed when he saw the x’s beside Gabriel’s name.

“Message me, big guy,” Gabriel said.

Sam got one last smile, and a strange look, before Gabriel turned his back and walked back into the diner. The bus driver rolled his eyes when Sam stumbled onto the bus, clutching his backpack in one hand and covering a yawn with the other. He found a seat where he could see in the diner window, and enjoyed a view of Gabriel ordering food as the bus sat on the curb. By the time they finally pulled out, Gabriel was halfway through a pile of pancakes, and Sam’s blinks lasted 30 seconds each. He fell asleep again, and woke only at the last rest stop before Stanford.

_‘this bus is boring,’_ he sent, before climbing off the bus.

A toilet trip was seriously, _seriously_ overdue. When he got back to the bus, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out, and had to laugh.

_‘better than mine, it’s so full i had to sit next to this dude who has a serious BO problem. HELP.’_

_‘i can’t breathe, Sam’_

A teasing rejoinder from Sam kicked off the same banter that they’d had while together. Something stirred in Sam’s chest. He found it comforting that their chemistry wasn’t just a fleeting nothing. He also consciously refused to explore why he felt that. Some things were better left untouched.

When Sam finally arrived on campus, he sent a final message to Gabriel, before walking through the maze that led to his dorm. In between settling back into his room and meeting a new roommate, he forgot to reply to Gabriel’s latest message. He didn’t remember until late at night. Instead of disturbing Gabriel, he fell asleep with his hand on his phone.

 

Gabriel messaged periodically in the next few weeks. His messages included little comments on his daily life, teasing about Sam’s hermit life while he studied, and the occasional photo of something he found interesting or funny. Sam found himself starting to look forward to new messages. What he sent to Gabriel was very similar to the messages he received, all friendly banter and _‘hey, look at this.’_ Even when Sam was on shift at the local bookstore he’d found a part-time job at, he found little reminders of his conversations with Gabriel.

The book of angel lore with the archangel Gabriel caricatured on the front was worth a photo. _‘hey, look, it’s you!’_

The short guy that came in looking for a copy of the Kama Sutra was worth a hidden grin and a _‘so get this.”_

The text messaging continued, and turned into late night calls, and phone bills that made Sam wince, glad he was on a scholarship that covered most expenses. He wouldn’t have been able to afford Gabriel otherwise. When he told Gabriel that, lewd jokes flooded in quicker than he could regret pressing send. He spent more time laughing at Gabriel’s messages than studying that night.

 

It reached a point where Sam’s friends noticed. He hadn’t talked about Gabriel, worried about what they’d think. He needn’t have worried. After the first few disbelieving comments, Jessica started giggling uncontrollably.

“You’re in love with a guy you met on a bus,” she said.

Sam groaned, letting his head fall onto the coffee shop table. Jess was his ex-girlfriend, and his best friend. She was studying to be a nurse, and their schedules had clashed so badly that the relationship had failed. There were no hard feelings for that, and they were still really close.

“I am _not_ in love,” he protested fruitlessly.

“You _are!_ ” She squealed.

“If you admit it, it’ll go easier for you,” Charlie, his friend, suggested from across the table.

Charlie was an IT major, and a complete geek. Her pop-culture references even went over _Sam’s_ head some of the time. He probably would have developed a crush on her, from pure awe at her wealth of pop-knowledge, but she was gayer than gay. And she was an asshole.

“You have been spending a suspicious amount of time talking to him,” Kevin joined in with a smirk.

Kevin had skipped a few years of school, and was in IT as well. He’d reluctantly settled on it as a major, but figured he was young enough to go through college twice if he had to. He was a complete genius and a total jerk. Well, he wasn’t a jerk, but he was acting like one, Sam thought huffily.

“I’m not, shut up,” he said petulantly into his hands.

Charlie threw her head back, and let out a peal of laughter unlike anything he’d ever heard before. Kevin snickered beside her, and Jess was so far gone that she was in tears.

“You’re in love,” Charlie said in a sing-song voice.

Sam kicked her under the table. Lifting his head up and pouting at them all. Before he could tell them that they were the worst friends he’d ever had, his phone buzzed. He checked it quickly, and couldn’t deny the fond smile that jerked at his lips. Jess took one look at him and collapsed in hysterics on the table top. Sam leaned back into the seat and let himself laugh with them.

“So maybe I like him,” he admitted. “I like you guys too, y’know, when you’re not being assholes.

Kevin leaned over the table, placing a hand on Sam’s shoulder. His suddenly serious face forced Sam to pay attention.

“Sam,” he said, deadpan. “If you like me the way you like this guy, I’m going to have to tell you right now that I don’t swing that way.”

His dark eyes held no trace of humor. Sam hung his head, and lost it.

“I hate you all,” he laughed. “Now for the love of God, change the subject!”

 

Sam thought they were crazy for months. Him, in love? It was ridiculous. He was only 20, he told himself. It was way too soon to be thinking about all that shit. Smiling at a browsing customer he sliced open another carton, careful not to slice the books within. Opening it up, he couldn’t help but smile at the cover art. The latest Harry Potter book had arrived a few weeks ago, and they’d sold out so fast that his boss near had a heart attack. It was the fifth one, Sam thought absentmindedly, piling his arms full. He had to stretch to put them on the top shelf, but the browsing lady was using the aisle’s step-ladder. Getting one from another aisle would take too long. Gabriel had already read _The Order of The Phoenix_ , and forced Sam to read it too, of course. There hadn’t been any force required. Just a ‘but I want to talk to you about it!” and Sam had been sold. His fury at Dumbledore’s actions throughout the book had surprised even him, and he and Gabriel spent weeks thrashing out their opinions on the reasons behind everything. When he’d told Charlie about it, she laughed and said that she and her girlfriend, Dorothy, had had the same conversations. Sam paused in shelving the books, and stared at the cover. _Oh._

 

Later that night, Sam found himself lying on his bed, thumb hovering over the call button. He finally pressed it, and rolled onto his stomach. Nobody was there to see his red face, but he felt safer hiding it in the pillow anyway.

“Sammy!” Gabriel answered cheerfully. “How was work today?”

A smile crept onto Sam’s face. He’d protested the name at first, and he’d told Gabriel why. Gabriel had persisted until the association of the nickname with his brother had long since passed, and Sam relaxed when he heard Gabriel say it. Sam rolled over, staring at the ceiling while he replied.

“It was good,” he said quietly. “I had to shelve a whole bunch of Harry Potter today. They’re selling really quick!”

Gabriel made a pleased noise. Sam asked about his day, and they fell into the familiar pattern. They didn’t break the comfortable form until Gabriel sighed unhappily.

“I’m thinking of leaving,” he said.

Sam frowned, his hand stilling where he’d been tapping a rhythm on his leg.

“Leaving?”

“Yeah. I don’t wanna be here anymore, Sam. I came out to everyone tonight.”

Sam flinched in sympathy.

“It didn’t go well?”

Gabriel laughed. The sound was harsh and bitter, and Sam felt like he was back on the bus, interrupting Gabriel’s music for the first time.

“It went even better than I expected,” Gabriel told him. “Michael told me I was going to end up just like Luce, and Raph just stood up and walked out.”

Sam waited, but Gabriel didn’t continue.

“And your foster parents?” he asked hesitantly.

Gabriel went quiet. It was answer enough, and Sam let out a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Gabe,” he said in a low voice. “I wish you were in a better situation.”

Gabriel laughed again, but it was weak and faltering.

“Me too, Sam.”

Sam stayed silent, knowing it would take Gabriel a little while to work up to talking about it. Sure enough, he heard Gabriel swallow heavily before speaking.

“I just don’t know what to do,” he confessed. “I don’t have anywhere to go, Sam. I’d stay with Balthy, or Cas, but they’d find me there.”

He didn’t have to specify who would find him. There were only two people crazy enough to stalk their foster sons. They’d taken the boys in after their single Father had disappeared when Gabriel was five. Gabriel had told Sam how the religion they’d raised him and his brothers in was some radical form of Christianity that condemned practically everything. His older brother had gone off the rails one year and landed himself in jail after getting caught in a compromising situation with a minor. Gabriel didn’t like to talk about his family unless he was drunk. A drunk dial one night had been how Sam had found out about the whole mess Gabriel was in. To hear him sound so upset while sober was a shock.

“There’s nowhere safe nearby?” Sam asked.

Gabriel sighed, and Sam heard him rustle around in the bed covers.

“No. They’ve got contacts everywhere. Plus, if I leave, they’ll stop paying for my degree, Sam. I’m nearly finished but I still can’t afford that.”

“You don’t even like your degree,” Sam reminded him.

“But I’ll need it to get a job,” Gabriel said despondently.

Sam had an idea. Gabriel’s situation was familiar in a way that had Sam remembering feelings he’d buried for years.

 “A job that you’ll hate, doing things that make you feel like shit for a business that hurts people,” Sam said. He gave Gabriel no time to reply before he said “I have an idea. Hang on.”

He sat up, flicking on his sidelight and leaning back into his pillow. He needed light to think properly about this. His heart was pounding in his chest. Gabriel stayed silent, but his quiet breathing on the other end of the line fueled Sam’s conviction.

“I told you that I left home when I was 19, didn’t I,” he said finally.

Gabriel made a familiar sound that meant ‘yes, now continue.’ Sam laughed, the adrenaline of the moment going to his head. His hands were shaking a little. He hadn’t talked about this for a long time.

“Gabriel,” he said quietly, “I said that I left because I wanted to go to college, and that my dad wasn’t happy with it.”

“And that’s why you don’t talk to your family much,” Gabriel said. There was a sound of realization. “But that’s not all, is it? What haven’t you said, Sam?”  

Sam laughed, and he knew it sounded a little wild.

“It’s kind of funny,” he said. “College, sexuality, people fixate on the stupidest shit.”

“Sam,” Gabriel said impatiently. “What didn’t you tell me?”

“My dad was crazy,” Sam said. “You know my mom died when I was a baby? It was a serial arsonist. Well dad went mad. He kept us on the road for nearly a year looking for this guy, before my uncle Bobby made him settle back down.  I don’t remember any of that, but I remember what came after. Bobby straightened him out, but it didn’t stop the drinking. He was drunk or drinking most of the time, and he could hardly hold down a job. My brother was the one who raised me, really.”

“Dean, who’s only four years older?”

Sam laughed.

“Yeah, Dean who’s only four years older. He was a great older brother, y’know. He did so much for me, Gabriel. But it didn’t stop the fighting with dad. He wanted Dean and me to settle down, go into Bobby’s business where we could be close to him. There was no other option in his eyes. So when I was doing great at school, and wanted to get out of Lawrence, he went crazy. Started accusing me of betraying them, of not being grateful.”

Sam’s voice was shaking, now. Gabriel didn’t interrupt, not even when there was a pause while Sam tried to pull himself together.

“It got really bad. Dean was getting hit, because I’d disappear when dad got blind. Then he found my acceptance letter to Stanford.”

Gabriel’s hissed breath sounded hollow on the phone. Sam knew what it sounded like in person, and suddenly his chest felt like it was constricting. Somehow it helped him calm down enough to continue.

He spilled the whole story. John found the letter, and went crazy. The screaming match that ensued, the things his father had said. The ultimatum and Sam choosing Stanford.

“Dean met me at the bus stop with the start of a black eye,” he said quietly. “He begged me not to go, but I couldn’t stay, Gabriel. It was like a soap opera, a total mess. By the time I got to Stanford I was a mess, and I was stuck there with nowhere to stay, no friends, but a full ride through college.”

Sam could hear Gabriel’s disbelief in the silence.

“I was so scared,” he confessed. “I practically had a breakdown in a coffee shop. That’s when Jess picked me up.”

“Ex-but-still-best-friend Jess?”

“Yeah. That’s how we met. She heard my story, called her friend, found a couch for me to sleep on, and then helped me look for an apartment and a job. She’s a gem.”

“Shit,” Gabriel finally said. “That’s a strange way to make friends, Sam.”

“Yeah,” Sam said with a tiny laugh. “You shouldn’t leave like that, Gabriel.”

“No shit. So what’s that idea you had?”

Sam smiled. It wasn’t the best idea, but it would give Gabriel a safe place to go, and a new start.

“There’s a bakery hiring across the road from The Men of Letters,” he said.

“Where you work?”

“Mhm. They’re looking to train a baker, and a barista.”

There was a long silence. Sam let Gabriel chew it over, before hitting him with the final part of his idea.

“I’m moving into an apartment off-campus in two weeks,” he said quietly. “Kevin and I tried to find a two-bedroom place, but could only find a three-bedroom.”

Sam held his breath, closing his eyes and hoping to god that Gabriel would react the way he thought he would. The silence continued for a few more seconds, then he heard a little outraged snort.

“Sam Winchester, you plotting bastard, are you trying to get me to quit school and move in with you?” 

Sam let out a relieved laugh, and felt his shoulders release tension he didn’t even realize was there.

“Think about it,” he pressed. “I’d have to ok it with Kevin, but I’m pretty sure he’d be fine. Then you’ve got somewhere to stay, a possible job, and a group of friends all ready for you.”

Gabriel sighed.

“You’re too good for me,” he mumbled. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“You sang out loud with headphones in, on a crowded bus,” Sam said drily.

Gabriel’s chuckle was like a warm blanket. God, Sam was screwed. They traded insults back and forth for a few minutes before Gabriel was yawning more often than he was speaking.

“Hey, Sam?” he said quietly.

Sam hummed an invitation to continue. He could barely keep his eyes open, and the room was blurry.

“Thank you,” Gabriel said. “I’ll think about it, ok?”

They hung up soon after, before Gabriel fell asleep. Sam flicked his light off, and stared at the dark ceiling for a few moments. He’d called hoping to tell Gabriel how he felt. Instead, he’d invited Gabriel to move in with him. Gabriel, who he’d spent ten hours with in over a year. Gabriel, whose family were the poster child of ‘psychotic but powerful.’ How would his friends react?

“Shit,” Sam said to the ceiling.

 

“Yeah, that’d be a godsend,” Kevin said happily. “A third person would really cut down the rent.”

Sam stared at him, surprised. The sounds of the bakery went on around them, despite the miraculous reaction.

“Really? Just like that?”

Kevin’s shrug infuriated him.

“Dude, you’ve talked to him for this long without something feeling off, and your instincts are pretty ok.”

“Pretty ok? You met Ruby and Brady, right?” he said incredulously.

Kevin rolled his eyes, and leaned forward. He tapped Sam on the nose with his spoon seriously.

“Sam, you were fucked up because you’d just come from a fucked up place. You met Gabriel way after them, and he hasn’t tried to get you into drugs yet. He’ll be fine. The worst we’ll have to deal with is that god-awful sweet tooth you say he has.”

Sam wiped cream off his nose and made a face.

“You’re crazy,” he said with a shake of his head. “Thank you.”

Kevin laughed, and let his bangs fall forward as he leaned his head back into his books, stirring his iced coffee absentmindedly.

“No problem, idiot. Now shut up, I’ve got to write a paper on this, and if I don’t get an A on it, I have to go back to taking cello lessons.”

Sam did a double take. Kevin had been even more of a nerd when he started his courses than he was now. Like all young geniuses, he’d been talked into doing things that he didn’t enjoy. After finding Charlie at a group whose sole purpose was roleplaying and dressing up as fictional characters, he’d loosened up some, and managed to drop a lot of the advanced classes that he didn’t enjoy. But still, cello? Kevin? That was something that Sam _couldn’t_ believe.

_“That’s_ how Linda gets you to work your ass off?”

Kevin grinned at him and shook his head, staring back down at the book. Sam knew he needed to study, but Kevin studied more than Sam did. And that was a _lot._

“You’re a moron. I play; I just don’t need lessons anymore. They wanted me to keep it up, but I’m not doing a musical degree, and I only play for fun, y’know?”

Sam leaned back and stared.

“I’ve known you since you first got here, and you only just tell me you play cello? I’m hurt, Kevin. Really hurt.”

Kevin smirked at his text book. Sam finally settled down with his own book once Kevin made it clear he was ignoring him. It wasn’t without some serious pouting, and not before he’d sent a text message to Gabriel.

_‘hey, kevin’s cool with it if you are.’_

 

Gabriel hadn’t messaged for three days. Now, Sam was probably over-reacting. He’d said as much to Charlie, lying on her apartment floor while she sat through a _Star Wars_ marathon. He was too tired to follow the plot. And maybe a little too worried, as well.

“Sam,” she’d said to him, nudging his shoulder with her foot. She left it there, too lazy to move it back to the couch. “You know him and his situation better than I do. All I know is that he’s got crazy adoptive parents and that you’ve got a big gay crush on him. If you think something is wrong, it probably is.”

“Foster parents,” he’d corrected absentmindedly.

She was right. Something wasn’t right. He rolled over and reached for his phone, disturbing her foot.

‘ _Gabriel, are you ok?”_

There was no reply, and the silence did nothing to alleviate his distress. He muttered an expletive under his breath, rolling onto his back and staring at the cracks in the ceiling.

“Sam, you’re really killing the vibe here,” Charlie told him.

He glared at her, and got an eyeroll in return.

“Seriously, Sam, you need to either loosen up or do something about it. Call him. Dorothy will be home soon, and I’m gonna kick you out then. Go home and call him twenty times if it’ll make you feel better.”

He barked a laugh at her.

“Not half creepy.”

“It’s not my job to find you a solution, you big baby,” she told him matter-of-factly. “I can give you as many hugs as you need, and I’ll support whatever decision you make, but I’m pooped. I had an exam today, and my head feels like someone’s run a truck over it. I’m not moving from this couch, nor am I going to think about hard things.”

He sighed. He knew how that felt. Climbing up onto the couch, he moved her legs and plopped them onto his lap.

“Just treat me like a ragdoll then,” she said, making a face at him.

“Shut up and watch the damn movie,” he sulked.

 

When he got back to his room, his roommate, Edgar, was there. Edgar was also having sex. Loudly. It was the first time he’d been in the room for nearly a week, and he was having sex. Sam groaned, letting his head fall onto the door. He wasn’t even going to try going inside. Turning around, he headed for the stairs. Nobody went to the rooftop except for stoners. And Sam, apparently. He hauled himself up the stairs, pulling out his phone. He hadn’t had time to call anyone when his phone rang. He stared at the caller ID, and answered, closing the door behind him.

“Is this ‘Sam’?”

Sam froze, hand still on the door handle.

“Yes, who is this?” he asked warily.

“This is Michael. I know you know who I am. What have you done to my brother?”

Sam felt his heart constrict. Michael, Gabriel’s eldest brother. _He had Gabriel’s phone._

“What’s happened to Gabriel?” he demanded. “Why do you have his phone?”

“My brother is missing, Sam. You’re the only person he’s messaged recently, and from the look of it, you two are… _close._ ”

The disgust in Michael’s voice made Sam’s stomach twist into knots. He felt faint at the very thought of that kind of hatred being aimed towards Gabriel.

“I don’t know where Gabriel is,” he said.

“Bullshit,” Michael hissed.

Sam flinched. Gabriel had said that Michael had been irrational in his belief in their foster parents. He definitely wasn’t making himself sound like the most stable of people. Michael continued, voice low and threatening.

“Gabriel talked to you about a lot of things that he shouldn’t have,” he said. “I have no doubts that he thought he was in some kind of _relationship_ with you. You’ve corrupted my brother, and now you will tell me where he is!”

Sam took a deep breath through his nose. If this douche thought he was going to get to Sam, he was sorely mistaken.

“Your brother and I were not in a relationship,” he said acidly. “And if we were, it’s none of your fucking business, _Michael._ I don’t know where your brother is, and if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”

He stared at the rooftops around him, wandering over to the edge and kicking at a plastic bottle. Michael’s tone morphed into something sickly sweet, and Sam was reminded of how John became when he wanted his own way.

“Sam, Sam,” Michael said to him. “I don’t know what he’s told you about us, but we have his best interests at heart. We’re _worried_ about him. He’s been close to a breakdown recently. The pressures of school are getting him down. We don’t like to talk about it much, because people talk, you know, but he’s a _suicide_ risk. His perception of reality is distorted, and he’s been saying things that are just _crazy._ We only want to bring him home where we can give him the best care.”

Sam clenched his fist at his side. His palm was sweating. This arrogant, manipulative bastard thought he could warp the truth to Sam. He knew Gabriel better than that.

“What kind of crazy things?” Sam asked sarcastically. “Like that he’s gay? That you’re all religious freaks stuck in the grasp of some cult? That you hit him if he steps out of line?”

Sam paused, letting his words sink in.

“Don’t try and lie to me,” he said. “I’ve dealt with people like you. You want Gabriel under your control, but let me tell you something, Michael. You can’t play with him, anymore.”

“Now you listen here, you little punk,” Michael snarled.

“No, you listen here,” Sam interrupted. “I don’t know anything. I wouldn’t tell you if I did know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do than go around in circles with a crazy like you.”

He hung up, and held his phone in his shaking hands, before slipping it into the pocket of his jeans. Holy shit. Michael was every bit as scary as Gabriel had described him. Then it hit Sam. Gabriel was missing.

“Oh fuck,” he said, and covered his mouth with one hand. “Oh fuck, fuck.”

He sat down before he fell off the roof. His heart was pounding double-time. Hysterical laughter bubbled from the depths of his chest, and he ran his hands through his hair repeatedly. He’d been right. Something was seriously wrong.

“Dude, are you ok? You don’t sound so hot.”

Sam glanced up to see some guy with a mullet standing over him.

“I’m fine,” he said shortly.

“You sure? That call didn’t sound like it was something that’d leave you feeling fine.”

Sam stared at him. The dude looked nice, if high. His plaid top had the sleeves torn off, and his trucker cap was tacky as all hell, but who was Sam to judge? His wardrobe was hardly high fashion. He shook the weird thoughts out of his head, and smiled shakily.

“A friend’s gone missing,” he said. “His crazy-religious family has his phone, and I don’t have any other way to contact him.”

The stoner dude blinked at him.

“Well that’s some heavy shit,” he said. “Where’s he live?”

“Arizona.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “I don’t even know how long he’s been missing. Haven’t heard from him in three days.”

Mullet-man whistled in shock.

“The name’s Ash,” he said, sitting down next to Sam. “I don’t know how to help you find your friend, dude, but I can make sure the crazy people can’t call you again, if you’d like. 

Sam turned and stared. Ash grinned at him, pulling a joint out of nowhere and taking a hit.

“All I need is your friend’s old phone number, it’s easy to block. If you give me the names of his family I can block the house phone too,” he said breezily.

The offer of help was tempting, but Sam would rather leave the lines of communication open in case Gabriel went home.  He smiled tiredly, and stood up. His knees made a popping sound, like he’d been sitting there for hours instead of minutes. Hopefully his roommate would be done, and Sam could get back to the room and pass out. Maybe the situation would be a little less bleak in the morning.

“I should be ok, thanks,” he said.

“Your loss,” Ash shrugged. “I’m up here nearly every Tuesday night if you need me.”

Sam smiled at him, more sincerely.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Hope you find your friend, big guy!”

 

Sam’s roommate was apparently still going. Sam gritted his teeth, fists clenched at his sides. Who the hell was that loud and went for so long?

“You’re an asshole, Edgar,” Sam yelled at the door.

The sounds cut off for just a second, and someone in the dorm cheered. Sam turned and walked out, anger somewhat appeased. It was only 8pm, and if Sam was lucky he could pass out at the all-night diner nearby. He could call a friend, but Kevin’s roommate was scary as all hell, and Charlie definitely wouldn’t want her date night interrupted. He couldn’t stay with Jess either, she was out of town.

 

The streets were fairly quiet. It _was_ Tuesday, Sam supposed. He made his way to the diner, ordering a coffee. At least he’d be able to sit in a booth uninterrupted for a few hours. The girl called out with a bored “large vanilla latte for the tall guy.” He made a face at her, but took the mug and headed straight for a secluded booth in the corner. No one would bother him, or be phased if he slept there. He saw students passed out in the booth all the time. It attracted exhausted college kids like flies, and now he knew why.

 He pulled his phone from his pocket, and sat it on the table in front of him, staring at it. He really didn’t need the coffee, but he found himself sipping at it anyway. There was nothing else he could do. Eventually his head slipped down onto his arms and he watched the only other people in the diner eat. He was nearly asleep when his phone buzzed. He jerked up, knees hitting the underside of the table. It was an unknown number, and he answered with his heart in his mouth.

“Sammy?”

“Gabriel? Where are you calling from, are you ok?”

Gabriel laughed. It was the most horrifying sound Sam had ever heard, wobbly and broken, and nothing like the Gabriel he knew.

“A payphone. I uh, I did something dumb, Sam.”

“I know,” Sam said. “You left your phone at home. Michael called.”

Gabriel made a sound that was something akin to a puppy being hit by a car.

“Sam, they took my phone two days ago. They wouldn’t let me leave the house or talk to any of my friends. I managed to get out the window in the night.”

Sam closed his eyes, and put his head in his hands. _Gabriel._

“Are you ok now? Where are you?”

He could hear traffic in the background, and Gabriel hiccupped before he answered.

“I don’t know. I don’t know how long I can hold it together right now. I’m at a bus stop. Please don’t be mad at me, I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and-”

“Where are you,” Sam interrupted.

“I don’t know exactly, somewhere in Stanford. I had to change buses a few times, and the driver said that it was the closest to the university that his bus came. Please don’t be mad at me Sam.”

Sam shook his head, taking a deep breath.

“Gabriel, I’m not mad, I’m just so glad you’re ok. I promise. Can you describe any of the stores around you, or find a street name or something?”

Gabriel only had to talk about ‘this one creepy thrift shop’ and Sam knew the bus stop he was talking about. He’d arrived on the same bus a long time ago, before catching another to the campus. That Sam had had reddened eyes and shaking hands, and he knew Gabriel would look much the same.

“I’m on my way,” he said. “Are you ok if I hang up? I’ll catch a cab.”

Gabriel muttered something in the affirmative, and Sam was out of his seat before he’d even hung up. He was out the door and at the cab rank before he’d even thought about what was happening. Gabriel was there. Sam winced at the thought of bringing Gabriel to his shitty dorm room, with the dicky roommate. It’d have to do, he thought sadly. Hardly the best introduction to Sam’s life, but it was somewhere safe. He threw the name of the bus stop at the cab driver, and leaned back in the seat. This was happening. He was going to see Gabriel for the first time since they’d met. He wondered if Gabriel had changed physically like Sam had, or if he was still the same short guy rocking preppy clothes and a cocky grin. He didn’t have to wonder for long.

“Wait here,” he told the driver, before climbing hurriedly out of the cab.

He could see Gabriel, huddled on the bench, staring at his feet.

“Gabriel,” Sam called, jogging towards him.

Gabriel’s head snapped up, and yeah, he still wore his hair the same. Sam skidded to a stop in front of him, and before he’d even thought about what he was doing, he’d pulled Gabriel up into a hug.

“Don’t you ever, ever do this to me again,” he said into Gabriel’s shoulder.

Gabriel’s arms snaked around his waist, and squeezed him tight for a few moments. Sam pulled back to look at him. He knew Gabriel heard his gasp, but he hardly cared. Gabriel’s left eye was yellow and purple, and unmistakable knuckle marks marred his cheek. A hand hovered over the coloring, but Sam caught himself before he could touch it. His lips tightened, and he closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he smiled reassuringly at Gabriel.

“Let’s get you home,” he said.

Gabriel clung to him in the cab. He was shaking. Not ‘I’m cold’ shaking, but the kind of tremor Sam had seen in his father’s hand when he talked about the war. He’d be still for a few seconds before he’d shudder uncontrollably, calm down, rinse and repeat. Sam kept a hand clutching at his arm, thumb stroking him gently while he gave the driver a shortcut to the dorms. When they finally arrived, Sam forked over the cash for the ride, wincing at the hit to his wallet. He was lucky that he wouldn’t have a big phone bill now that Gabriel was with him.

 

Leading Gabriel into the thankfully empty room, Sam took him straight into the bathroom. He’d always thought having a bathroom in each room was a waste of space, but he wasn’t questioning design issues now.

“Here,” he said, thrusting a towel at Gabriel. “Shower. Then bed, and we’ll talk in the morning, ok?”

Gabriel finally met his eyes.

“Why aren’t you angry?” he asked. “I turn up without any notice after being off the radar for three days, why aren’t you royally pissed off?”

Sam snorted at him. _Angry_ at _Gabriel_. The thought was enough to make him laugh.

“Gabriel,” he said patiently. “I’m angry at your family, I’m angry at homophobes in general, I’m angry at rising tuition costs and at the minimum wage that doesn’t meet the cost of living. What I’m not angry at, is you. You did the right thing in leaving, ok?”

Gabriel looked unconvinced, and Sam sighed. He wasn’t going to erase years of manipulation with five minutes of talking. Instead he did the only thing he knew would relax Gabriel.

“Stop doubting yourself and get in the shower,” he said. “You stink, Gabriel.”

When Gabriel shot an insulted glare at him, Sam grinned unrepentantly.

“It’s good to have you here,” he told Gabriel, backing out of the bathroom.

Sam sighed, turning away from the door. It was hard to see Gabriel so uncertain, so wary. He was the world’s brightest trickster, but not even he could keep up endless smiles. There was some lesson about humanity to learn there, but it was also late at night and Sam was tired. He was making up a bed on the floor when Gabriel stuck his head out of the door, hair plastered to his face.

“Uh, Sam,” he said. “My clothes are kind of… gross. Do you have anything that I can borrow?”

While rummaging through his drawers, Sam couldn’t find a thing that would actually fit Gabriel. Cursing his own height, he settled for grabbing the smallest pair of slacks that he owned, and a hoodie. They’d swamp Gabriel, but they’d have to do.

“Sorry,” he said as he passed them to Gabriel. “My clothes don’t generally come in size hobbit.”

Gabriel was still laughing when he came out of the bathroom.

“I’m normal sized,” he told Sam. “You’re just a monster.”

Sam smiled, plumping the pillow a little. It was good to see that the shower had loosened Gabriel up some. When he turned around, he stopped dead. Jesus. He wasn’t expecting Gabriel to look quite like he did. He’d rolled the sweatpants up till they hung at his ankles, and the hoodie hung right to his knees. His hair stuck up in several different directions, and Sam could see water dripping down the back of his neck. He was gorgeous. Sam swallowed.  If anything was a bad idea right then, it was inappropriate thoughts about the guy about to sleep in his bed. Fuck. He hid his mind boner with a cheap shot at Gabriel’s height.

“They really dwarf you, huh,” he grinned. “You look like a little gnome!”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.

“Watch it, sasquatch,” he said. “I might have to take advantage of those ticklish spots you told me about.”

Sam froze. He hadn’t ever told Gabriel he was ticklish, had he? When had that even come up in conversation?

“Oh yes,” Gabriel said. He pushed his hands into the pockets of the hoodie, grinning smugly. “You told me about the back of your neck.”

Sam’s lips twitched. He couldn’t help himself.

“Are you sure you can reach my neck?”

Gabriel’s outraged growl had Sam in hysterics before the war had even started. Lifting his hands to guard his neck, Sam was surprised when Gabriel’s hands went straight to his ribs. It was over before it started; Sam dropped like he’d been shot. Momentarily winded, he stared at the ceiling helplessly. Gabriel did nothing to help, hunched over with silent laughter, hands braced on his knees.

“Oh god,” he wheezed. “You just… you just went down so hard, oh god. I should have yelled ‘timber.’”

Sam stuffed his fist in his mouth to muffle his own laughter. He could feel his eyes leaking tears of glee. Each breath sounded like a hiccup, and that set Gabriel off into another fit of cackling.

“Shh,” Sam forced in between breaths. “We’ll wake people up.”

Gabriel waved a dismissive hand. “The noise complaints are your problem,” he grinned.

Sam flipped him the bird from where he lay on the floor. This wasn’t how he’d expected the evening to go, but it was significantly more pleasant now Gabriel was with him. Sam was still giggling when he sat up. His back felt like he’d fallen off a roof.

“Jesus, Gabriel,” he said. “How did you even do that?”

Gabriel grinned at him.

“I figured I’d distract you with the neck thing.” He said. “I had no idea that’d happen.”

He held out his hand to help Sam up. Sam stared at it for a second, and then met Gabriel’s eyes. His smile was so wide it hurt his mouth.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said.

Gabriel’s face softened as he helped haul Sam up off the ground.

“Me too,” he said. “Me too.”

 

When Sam woke the next morning to late morning sunshine coming through the window, his first thoughts were ‘why am I on the floor?’ and ‘oh shit, I’m late for class.’ He’d jumped up in a panic, rummaging through the drawers for some decent clothes. He was dressed and on his way out the door with his laptop case over his shoulder when he backed up, staring at his bed with a tiny smile.

Gabriel was curled up in a ball, blankets pulled up around his neck. His hair was soft without his normal product in it, and it fell into his face. With his hands curled into loose fists under his chin, he looked like a child praying before bed. Sam let out a long breath, and grabbed a post-it from his desk.

_‘Class. Back at 12:30, make yourself at home.’_

He paused for a second before adding his and Charlie’s cell numbers underneath with their names scrawled beside. Just in case. He left it where Gabriel would see it, smiled one last time at the sleeping figure, and left the room at a run.

 

Sam’s lecturer glared as he snuck into the back of the class half an hour late, plopping into a seat at the back of the room and taking out his notepad. He wouldn’t have time to set up his laptop, so he started furiously taking notes by hand instead. For the first time since his first year, Sam struggled to pay attention to the lecture. It showed in his note-taking, the barely legible scrawls making about as much sense as his professor. By the time the class was over, Sam was exhausted.

“You look like hell, Moose,” a familiar voice drawled. “Been hit by a truck recently?”

Sam turned his head to face Crowley, a loudmouthed English guy who’d transferred in their second year. He looked almost pleasant, rather than his usual hung-over. According to rumor he could afford to turn up still drunk to classes. No one knew how old he was, but it could be anywhere between 25 and 35 the way Crowley talked. He pulled some of the best grades in the class, despite it being his second degree. It also didn’t hurt that he was filthy rich. Lucky bastard.

“I’m not even sure,” Sam muttered. “I’ve got no fucking clue what Henriksen was going on about today.”

Crowley laughed, smile the least sarcastic Sam had ever seen.

“This is the most human I’ve ever seen you,” he teased. “It’s what, the first time you’ve ever arrived late?”

Sam groaned.

“Don’t remind me,” he said.

He hauled himself up out of the chair, collecting his notes and shoving them into his bag.

“Seriously,” Crowley continued as they walked out the door. “It’s about time you had some fun, or whatever you had last night. You can borrow my notes, if you’d like.”

Sam turned and stared.

“Seriously?” he asked.

Crowley nodded.

“I won’t even hold it against you,” he said. “Just, do us a favor, yeah?”

Sam nodded dumbly, accepting the notes Crowley handed over. The shorthand looked easy enough to read, it was similar to his own. Thank _god_.

“Next time Edgar fucks until all hours of the night, put itching powder in his bed.” Crowley said with a scowl. “That twat disturbed my own playtime. One of the ladies knows his girlfriend, who was certainly not who he was banging. She felt awful. My perfectly wonderful threesome ruined.”

Sam couldn’t help laughing. When Crowley’s mocking tone wasn’t aimed at him, it was almost endearing. Almost.

“Will do,” he promised.

Well. That was one crisis averted.

 

When Sam arrived back at the door, Gabriel was still asleep. Sam shook his head, closing the door quietly behind him. How Gabriel could sleep so long was beyond him. Smiling fondly at the way Gabriel lay star-fished on his bed, Sam dumped his bag and headed to the bathroom. He _really_ should have gone before he’d left. As it turned out, Gabriel was woken by the flush. Sam wandered back into the room only to be hit in the face with a pillow.

“Good morning to you, too,” he said, kicking it back towards the bed.

He grinned at Gabriel, who was sitting up in Sam’s bed, hair going in more directions than a confused deer about to be hit by a car.

“You piss loudly,” Gabriel complained.

He managed to convey extreme annoyance just through a yawn. Sam laughed at him, while picking up the clothes Gabriel had left on the floor the night before.

“At least I don’t go to the toilet when I’m on the phone,” Sam said. “Unlike someone I know.”

Gabriel made an obscene gesture, and flopped back onto the bed.

“When did you wake up?”

Sam checked the clock. “About the time my class started,” he said drily. “I didn’t sleep too great last night. Some asshole was in my bed.”

Gabriel’s laughter was loud and free, just like Sam remembered. When Gabriel struggled to sit up again, Sam was standing in the middle of the room, clutching Gabriel’s dirty clothes, smiling so wide that his cheeks felt like they were tearing apart. Even the bruises on Gabriel’s face didn’t look as bad in the sunlight. Gabriel caught him staring, and when Sam didn’t look away or stop smiling, Gabriel’s cheeks flushed red.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he grumbled, throwing the covers back and climbing out of the bed.

Sam let out a delighted peal of laughter, because he’d never seen Gabriel look so bashful before. Gabriel muttered something rude under his breath. He pulled the covers of the bed up and plumped the pillow. He _made the bed._ Gabriel, grumpy ‘I’m not a morning person’ and ‘I don’t do shit for anyone else, ever,’ Gabriel made Sam’s bed. Sam dropped the clothes, and all thought of getting them to the Laundromat before late afternoon. Gabriel turned at the sound, and was promptly overwhelmed by the oncoming Sam.

“Jesus _fuck_ ,” he said, flinching at how close Sam was.

Sam hugged him, burying his face into Gabriel’s neck. Gabriel’s confusion radiated through his entire body. When they finally pulled apart, Sam was still smiling.

“What brought this on?”

Sam grinned at him, collecting the clothes he’d dropped and shoving them into his backpack. I’m in love with you, he thought. He picked up his own dirty clothes, and shot another grin at Gabriel.

“You made my bed,” he said.

Gabriel’s bemused sigh followed Sam out the door before Gabriel did.

 

Gabriel wasn’t patient at the best of times. Waiting for the washing machine to finish washing his clothes clearly wasn’t the best of times. They’d already been to get coffee, and drank it slowly while Gabriel woke up fully. He’d complained about mornings and uncomfortable bus trips and friends that laughed at him in the mornings while he drank. Sam watched him talk, and couldn’t tear the indulgent smile off his face. Now Gabriel sat on the washing machine, legs kicking back and forth.

“Can you just stop?” Sam finally asked. He was sitting on the ground against the wall, feet up against their machine. His fingers tapped a rhythm onto the hard flooring beneath him while he watched Gabriel. “It’s just two minutes.”

“Just two minutes,” Gabriel parroted back mockingly.

Sam glared at Gabriel, and poked his tongue out.

“Childish brat,” Gabriel said.

Sam narrowed his eyes. Gabriel’s own eyes were wide in challenge, mouth set in a defiant line. Sam held the pose, held it, and held it until Gabriel was the first one to throw his head back and laugh. Sam’s lips twitched a second before he let go, and laughed with Gabriel. The washing finished, and Gabriel slipped off the machine, opening the lid. Sam watched him carry their clothes to the dryer across the room, unwilling to move from the warm spot on the floor. Gabriel hadn’t packed any product, so his hair was still soft, and it flopped in front of his eyes as he fed quarters into the machine. He looked ridiculous. Sam’s clothes still hung off him, making him look absolutely tiny. Sam made a note to himself. He’d have to buy Gabriel some new clothes. He’d protest, but Sam had no problem with threatening to buy him something garish unless he gave in and picked his own. Sam could take care of Gabriel. Sam _wanted_ to take care of Gabriel.

 

Charlie’s reaction to Sam walking into the coffee shop with Gabriel at his sidewas priceless. Her mouth dropped open, chewed food falling to her plate.

“Kevin,” Sam heard her whisper. “Kevin, it’s him.”

Gabriel looked up at Sam warily.

“ _This_ is the super-nice-totally-gay-nerd?”

Sam snickered, hitting Gabriel’s arm, the canvas of his jacket feeling odd against his knuckles. Gabriel was in his own clothes again, wearing his usual jacket and button up.

“Hey guys,” he called, slipping into the booth beside Charlie. “I’d like you to meet Gabriel. Gabriel, Kevin, and Charlie.”

Gabriel tentatively sat beside Kevin, who smiled at him with his mouth full of fries. Sam’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

“You two are totally making some really intelligent impressions,” he teased.

“Shut up, Sam. So you’re the one who’s caught him,” Charlie said to Gabriel seriously. “I can see why, he always did have a height difference kink.”

Sam groaned, and dropped his head to the table, while Kevin promptly cracked up. Gabriel’s discomfort melted away as he laughed. He grinned widely at her, reaching over the table to shake her hand.

“I don’t think I can say that,” he said. “He’s definitely stuck with me, though.”

Sam frowned a tiny bit. _Stuck_ with Gabriel?Charlie pulled Gabriel into a conversation on the latest Terminator movie. Gabriel’s ‘it’s just wearing the plot out, now,’ bought a wide eyed silence for one second and then a tirade of passionate argument from Charlie. Kevin nudged at Sam under the table, shooting him a look. ‘You ok?’ it asked. Sam smiled, and nodded, but he knew it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Gabriel thought Sam was ‘stuck’ with him. It wasn’t that way at _all._ He couldn’t stay upset for long, not when Kevin got dragged into the fight about the stupid movie. When he confessed to not having seen it, Charlie and Gabriel both stopped, and stared.

“You what?” Charlie said disbelievingly.

“You’re kidding,” Gabriel said.

Sam laughed.

“You know, I haven’t seen it either,” he said with a small grin.

Gabriel and Charlie were united in their horror, much to Sam’s enjoyment.

“Is it still showing here?” Gabriel asked, after much sputtering.

Charlie looked at him hard for a second. Then, her face broke into a big smile.

“I like the way you think,” she said. “It is. There’s a late screening tonight, that we can catch after you two get your food. So hurry up and order.”

 

Once they’d all eaten, Gabriel and Sam sharing a large plate of fries, they walked to the nearest cinema. It was packed full of college students, so much so that there was a line to get tickets.

“Jesus,” Gabriel said to Sam over the noise of the crowd. “If you weren’t a moose, I’d lose you in this crowd.”

Sam laughed at him and reached down to grab at his hand.

“There you are,” he said teasingly. “Now you can’t get lost.”

To Sam’s surprise, Gabriel didn’t pull his hand away, just held it and grinned at him. Sam caught Charlie’s amused eyes, and blushed bright red at her suggestive eyebrow waggle. Grumbling under his breath, he led his friends into the movie theatre.

While they watched the movie, Charlie and Gabriel argued about the plot in hushed whispers. Kevin and Sam watched it in silence, Sam occasionally groaning at the sheer corniness of a line.

“I agree with you,” he finally said to Gabriel. “It’s just getting old. How many times can the same thing be said?”

Gabriel squeezed his hand, appreciatively. He still hadn’t let go.

“See,” he whispered to Charlie. “He agrees with me.”

“He has to, he’s in love,” she hissed back.

Gabriel snickered, and Sam rolled his eyes. But when Gabriel tightened his hand on Sam’s, a little wonder seemed to flare in Sam’s chest. Sam really was in love. Maybe it wasn’t so impossible to think that Gabriel might feel the same way.

 

“I really enjoyed meeting your friends, Sam.”

Gabriel had insisted on sleeping on the floor, because he couldn’t keep taking Sam’s bed. Sam thought that was ridiculous, because _yes_ , Gabriel could. Still, now Gabriel was curled up in blankets on Sam’s floor.

“I’m glad. You’ll probably meet Jess on the weekend; she gets back from her parents’ then.”

“Can’t wait,” Gabriel said through a yawn. “Seriously, everyone’s been so welcoming. I almost don’t miss Cas and the gang.”

Sam frowned. He couldn’t forget that Gabriel had left his own friends behind.  

“You know, if you have a way to contact them, they can come visit,” he said quietly. “I’m sure they wouldn’t tell your family where you are.”

Gabriel chuckled, and it was such a sad laugh that Sam’s chest ached.

“I know they wouldn’t. That doesn’t mean my family wouldn’t follow them.”

Sam rolled over, peering over the edge of the bed. He could just make out Gabriel curled up on the floor, one of Sam’s pillows under his head.

“Gabriel,” he said. “Why are you sleeping on the floor?”

Gabriel was the epitome of silent confusion.

“We’re best friends,” Sam continued. “Get your ass up here where I can give you a hug and tell you that your family are assholes.”

“You make a valid point,” Gabriel laughed, and Sam could feel him staring.

“I’m serious,” Sam said. “C’mon.”

He shuffled back on the bed to make room for Gabriel. He wasn’t expecting Gabriel to throw the pillow and blanket that he’d been using at Sam’s head as he stood up. While Sam was sputtering and flailing around, Gabriel climbed into the bed, giggling.

“You never used to be this forward,” Gabriel teased, snuggling under the covers.

Sam hummed, and threw an arm around Gabriel’s waist, pulling him closer. He hugged Gabriel silently to him, until Gabriel had relaxed in his arms, breathing evenly into Sam’s chest. Once he was sure Gabriel was asleep, Sam pressed a soft kiss to Gabriel’s hair. He could smell his own shampoo on Gabriel, and it smelled like home.

“You never used to be this close,” he whispered.

He wasn’t so close to sleep that he didn’t hear the tiny hitch in Gabriel’s breathing. He just chose not to say anything. It’d come up eventually, maybe sooner, maybe later. Just not now.

 

The next day, Sam took Gabriel shopping. Gabriel had already worn his own clothes two days in a row, and he couldn’t keep wearing Sam’s slacks and hoodie whenever they washed his pants and shirt. Just like he’d predicted, Gabriel protested Sam spending money on him. Gabriel was still arguing when they walked into the first store.

“I just don’t think you should be wasting money on me!” he said for the fourth time.

“Well, we’re here now,” Sam shrugged. “There’s no point in not buying something if we’re already here.”

Gabriel froze, and stared at him. The effect of his wide eyes and yellowed skin was startling. Sam stared back expectantly.

“You’re good,” he said. “Damn, you’re good.”

Sam winked at him saucily. Gabriel’s affronted sputtering just made Sam laugh.

“True,” he said. “Now, beside too-tight pants and that jacket, I’ve got no clue what you wear, you know. Lead the way.”

“They’re not too tight,” Gabriel said, even as he wandered towards the shirt section of the store. “They just show off all the right things.”

“Just because they make your ass look good doesn’t mean they aren’t too tight,” Sam shot back, and was rewarded with a shocked laugh. “Now go wild. I got paid last night, so we’re cool. If you really feel guilty about it, you can pay me back when you find a job.”

He knew he wasn’t acting like he usually did, but watching Gabriel smile and talk as they’d walked to the store had done things to Sam’s already totally-in-love heart. Gabriel had gestured as he walked, trying to convince Sam that spending money on him was a stupid idea. It’d only made Sam happier. He hadn’t had this domesticity since his short-lived relationship with Jess, and he’d only just realized how much he missed it.

Sam sat on a bench outside the changing rooms while Gabriel picked out an armful of clothes. One bright colored shirt after another joined the pile, two pairs of tight jeans and a pair of khakis. When Gabriel finally hauled the pile into the changing rooms, he kicked Sam on his way in.

“Don’t be rude,” Sam grumbled good-naturedly, rubbing his ankle.

“I’ll even model these for you, so you get your money’s worth,” Gabriel called from behind the curtain.

He stood by his word, trying on each pair of pants with a different shirt. Each new outfit got a twirl in front of Sam, and a quick pose. He paired faded blue jeans with a tie dye shirt, much to Sam’s amusement. Tight black jeans paired with a bright top, where a blue, yellow and pink pirate proclaimed ‘pansexual pirates want _all_ the booty,’ made Sam laugh out loud. Gabriel snickered when Sam’s laugh made a girl across the store jump.

“You’re ridiculous,” Sam told Gabriel, grinning at him.

Gabriel smirked, and went back into the change rooms.

He took a little longer to change into the last outfit, but when he finally opened the curtain, it was worth it. It was very worth it. He strolled out in the khakis and a red button up shirt just like the one that he’d been wearing when Sam met him first. He didn’t twirl, just stood in front of Sam with his hands on his hips and a knowing smile on his face.

“I thought you might like this one,” he said cockily.

Sam stared, disbelief warring with sheer adoration. Finally he gave up on feeling one or the other, and instead stood up, striding to Gabriel and kissing him. His hands cupped Gabriel’s face, dwarfing Gabriel’s features easily. Sam’s lips pressed softly against Gabriel’s, once, twice. When he pulled away, Sam’s smile could have featured in a Christmas rom-com trailer. His thumb stroked over Gabriel’s fading bruises.

“You’re absolutely ridiculous, and I love you,” he told Gabriel frankly.

Gabriel’s own smile was wide and full of awe.

“I know,” he said. “And I love you too, you oversized, selfless, sappy bastard.”

Yeah, ’cause Sam was the one who’d made a sentimental gesture that wouldn’t make sense to any other person. Sam couldn’t tear the smile off his face as Gabriel got changed into his own clothes. In fact, he couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. Not even when Gabriel put half the clothes back, only buying the three outfits he’d shown Sam and a few extra shirts. Not even when Gabriel told him that he’d pay Sam back. Not even when Gabriel chose the cheapest phone he could find and frowned when Sam bought a more expensive but more practical one for him. Definitely not when Gabriel tentatively took his hand as they searched for a place to eat, and held it right up until they sat down. And when Gabriel ordered dessert for lunch, Sam couldn’t even bring himself to growl about nutrition.

“You know I don’t feel like I’m ‘stuck with you,’ right?” Sam asked, watching Gabriel’s eyes flutter closed as he has his first spoonful of icecream.

Gabriel’s mouth curled around his spoon, and he was still smiling when he sat it back on the plate and looked up at Sam. His eyes shone, a near-forgotten memory of sunlight through whiskey. Sam held his breath, unable to break eye contact.

“Yeah,” Gabriel said. “I know.”

 

That night they slept in the same bed again. Gabriel complained about being the little spoon while snuggling farther back into Sam’s chest. Sam’s quiet teasing was followed with Gabriel’s snarky replies. Their voices continued until late at night, because Sam didn’t have morning class the next day. When Sam finally fell asleep, it was with Gabriel in his arms and his face buried in Gabriel’s hair.

Just before he fell asleep, a voice that had to be Gabriel’s whispered: “Everything’s going to be alright.”


End file.
